Reviews

The Bluest Eye is the first novel by American author Toni Morrison. It is set in 1941 in the small town of Lorain, Ohio, and tells the story of an 11-year-old Negro girl, Pecola Breedlove, who becomes pregnant to her father Cholly. Pecola’s family and environment is such that she is certain she is ugly; so convinced of this is she, that she wishes for blue eyes, believing this is the only thing that will relieve her ugliness. Narrated in part by a 9-year-old neighbourhood girl, Claudia, the perspective of young girls in this situation is novel. Some chapters detail the history of Cholly and Mrs Breedlove, giving some clues as to how this crippled and crippling family evolved. This reissue of Morrison’s first novel includes a new Forward by the author wherein she explains what she was trying to achieve. Some of the prose is quite stunning: “Love is never any better than the lover. Wicked people love wickedly, violent people love violently, weak people love weakly, stupid people love stupidly, but the love of a free man is never safe. There is no gift for the beloved.” The prose may be beautiful, but as a Dutch-born Caucasian living in Australia with a limited experience of the Negro, I found it difficult to relate to this book.

Ditra Coleman(03/24/09)

Other Peoples Feelings

I have read "The Bluest Eye" about 15 times since I first read it at 28 years of age..... I am now 49.

It is hard to sum up such a heartfelt piece of literature. The story and meaning of this book goes far beyond the words on the pages. You could say the book is simply about a little black girl that wants to be white with blue eyes because it seems like all is well for the little blue eyed blondes of the world.... but the stories are sooooo much more.

The Bluest Eye is about life, love, and the treatment of others. It is about being ugly in all ways because someone or something always told you that you were. It is about the death of someones spirit. It is about taking a persons happiness and crushing it.

There is a scene where Pecola goes into a small store with a little change to get some candy. She was okay, she was happy and in just an instant the man behind the counter took her to such a low level by treating her "ugly". After she left the store it began to rain and she ended up throwing her "Maryjane" candy into the street. She did not want it after being treated soooo ugly. "I still cry".

I grew up in an upper middle-class neighborhood. Racially mixed yet divided by certain treatment of others. I have 3 sisters and one brother. There was a small store run by a white man and his wife. We went there all of the time to get penny candy and each time this old white man treated us like we were &quot;ugly&quot;. Yet, we continued to go there.

I tell everyone I meet to read "The Bluest Eye". Man, woman, child...... read this book. It is in a word "profound".

Thank you!

Ditra(02/01/08)

TOUCHED

I first read The Bluest Eye about 20 years ago. I have read it about 10 more times since. I grew up in the 60's and 70's along with three younger sisters and an older brother. This book touched home for me on soooo many levels. Though both of my parents were college educated, the little black child experience was the same for all black children during that time.

One of the most touching parts was when the little girl went in the store to buy candy and the way that old man treated her. I still cry every time I think about it.

This is the only book that I have ever read that taught me what self-hatred is and where it comes from.

I recommend this book to every person in this world. No matter your race, religion, financial status or age. Read It! If you don't get it then Read It Again! Please!

afroman(11/24/06)

It was o.k

The bluest eye displays extremely well the toils and pitfalls of being black in 1940's America. Although slavery was abolished at this point, stigma was still in place for being black. The struggle that Pecola faces in the novel is one that can be represented to each and everyone of us in our everyday lives. Beauty is what people are rated on, in today's society, and it is a shame. Being ugly puts you at a disadvantage, portrayed in the novel and life itself.

Joshua Lim(04/18/06)

The Bluest Eye

A deep read, but beautiful with literary metaphor.

Joshua Lim(04/13/06)

The Bluest Eye

This book is not easy to read, but those who persist on will appreciate the beauty of language that the author had woven. It has beautiful use of metaphor and for those who like poetry, they will enjoy it tremendeously.

Moriah(01/12/06)

General Interpretation

In all, I found the bluest eye to be a profound book. Toni Morrision packs the book with literary symbolism, which is good, however at times it is somewhat overwhelming. It's the kind of book you have to go back and read, or even research her meaning behinf the symbolism. Young readers, most likely would have a hard time reading this book, because the one needs to do an interpretive anaylisis to thouro0ughly grasp the concept. However the change of narritive sequence,was something I didn't understand at first but later I I realize Morrision used this literary device, to understand the root of Pecola's problem.

Julia(02/17/05)

At first I did not understand the book, but i soon got into the whole swing of it. I loved how the author looked into the past, seeing all the characters really helped me understand. It is a chilling story of a girl who just wanted to fit in and live a normal life. It is a ouching story, beautifully written, it speaks for all the black people who have suffered and who still suffer today. The author created an amazing story that has changed my life.

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